BAD - Lufkin Texas - CHL holder killed

This is a discussion on BAD - Lufkin Texas - CHL holder killed within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Lufkin shooting victim hailed hero, Hudson man charged with capital murder
Lufkin shooting victim hailed hero, Hudson man charged with capital murder
By JESSICA SAVAGE
...

A man who was shot and later died after defending his girlfriend during an attempted robbery at a Lufkin restaurant Sunday night was a "true hero," a manager said Monday.

Keith Edward Labrozzi II, 24, of Lufkin, died at a local hospital after being shot multiple times by a man attempting to rob his girlfriend, manager Katherine Lynn Jeffreys, 23, outside David Beard's Catfish King, 806 S. Medford Drive, at 10:36 p.m. Sunday. Jeffreys, who was shot through the ankle, is recovering at a local hospital, said Pam Minefee, another manager. The couple has two children together, ages 3 and 1.

"He was a true hero," Minefee said. "He saved his girlfriend's life and possibly others who would have been here."

Lufkin police have charged Brian Martin Womack, 19, of Hudson with capital murder. Womack is recovering from surgery at a local hospital where he is being kept under police guard. Labrozzi, who had a concealed handgun license, shot Womack in the abdomen during the incident, using a handgun he carried while escorting Jeffreys as she closed the restaurant before depositing the night's till.

"As they walked from the business toward their Chevrolet Tahoe vehicle, Katherine, who was carrying the night deposit from Catfish King, observed a male suspect running toward her from the wood line at the back corner of the property," an arrest affidavit stated. "She heard the suspect yell something, but she did not understand what he said."

Womack, brandishing a handgun, then shot Jeffreys in the ankle before exchanging gunfire with Labrozzi, who had a handgun on him, the report stated. Womack allegedly fled on foot and the couple were taken to a local hospital where Labrozzi later died. Police recovered both handguns at the scene along with the money, the release stated.

Police later found Womack in a ditch alongside Ford Chapel Road near Renfro Street — a block from Catfish King — approximately 20 minutes after the shooting, the release stated. Emergency responders transported him to a hospital where he is expected to recover.

Criminal records show Womack has one prior arrest. Hudson police booked him into Angelina County Jail in March 2007 and charged him with deadly conduct for allegedly fighting at Hudson High School where he was a student.

Sunday night's deadly attempted robbery is the second incident in eight months at Catfish King in which an armed robber approached a manager closing the business. Two men robbed an assistant manager Dec. 22, according to a previous police report in The Lufkin Daily News. The woman robbed in December is not Jeffreys, who was shot Sunday. Jeffreys has worked at Catfish King for six months.

In the December robbery, the woman told police she was walking to her car when she heard a rustling noise in the woods before two males with blue bandanas approached her. One pulled a handgun and told her, "This is a robbery." The other sprayed the woman with pepper spray and took her purse before both ran back into the woods. No arrests have been made in that case.

A month later, the same assistant manager was robbed at gunpoint while making a deposit at Huntington State Bank, off U.S. Highway 59 South, Minefee said. She was not injured during that attack and the robbers have not been caught. The incident was captured on a bank camera, the manager said.

Minefee said the restaurant is in the process of implementing on-site security following Sunday night's slaying. In the meantime, the restaurant will be adjusting its operation hours. Catfish King closed at 2 p.m. Monday. It will also close the day of Labrozzi's funeral. Labrozzi's funeral arrangements are pending with Gipson Funeral Home.

"We deeply regret what has happened and extend the deepest sympathy to the families," Minefee said.

I would like to know what type/caliber of gun Labrozzi was carrying. My sympathies to the families involved.

Maybe David Beard could have a good safe included in the franchise of the Catfish King deal. Then the managers could lock up the money in the safe and not have to go around making night deposits, and risking their lives and those of the loved ones trying to protect them.

There is no reason that a manager should have to leave a restaurant late in the evening and go do banking. It should be done during daylight hours, while on the clock with multiple people if need be.

When I was in high school I often closed at a restaurant and would follow with the women manangers to do the deposit at night when we left. I thought it was a stupid thing to do back then and still do.

Hopefully the families will be able to get past this and get on with their lives. Also hope the killer gets the rest of his life behind bars to think about what he did.

Just remember that shot placement is much more important with what you carry than how big a bang you get with each trigger pull.www.ddchl.com
Texas CHL Instructor
Texas Hunter Education Instructor
NRA Instructor

Maybe David Beard could have a good safe included in the franchise of the Catfish King deal. Then the managers could lock up the money in the safe and not have to go around making night deposits, and risking their lives and those of the loved ones trying to protect them.

There is no reason that a manager should have to leave a restaurant late in the evening and go do banking. It should be done during daylight hours, while on the clock with multiple people if need be.

When I was in high school I often closed at a restaurant and would follow with the women manangers to do the deposit at night when we left. I thought it was a stupid thing to do back then and still do.

Hopefully the families will be able to get past this and get on with their lives. Also hope the killer gets the rest of his life behind bars to think about what he did.

A big +1 to this ... I have drop safes in both my restaurants for mid-business and close-of-business deposits. I would NEVER ask an employee to make a bank deposit for me for several reasons:

1) BGs come out at night and often stake out businesses near closing time.

2) It's MY money, and I shall take responsibility for its safe transfer.

3) Not all employees are honest, and untraceable cash is a huge enticement for faking a robbery story.

I can't believe that after the first (or hell, the second) robbery the owner of the restaurant didn't take the initiative and have a drop safe installed on premise.

I remember in college when I would make night deposits for the Foot Locker where I worked ... scary thing walking around at night with $X,XXX in cash that isn't yours.

Making deposits for my restaurants myself (during the day, mind you) is one of the main reasons I've applied for my CHL.

From the sound of things it was probably a small-time operation and they might not have had the money to hire an armored truck service to handle those matters.

I too, am curious to learn what kind of weapon Mr. Labrozzi was carrying; the bottom line though, is somethng everybody should really pay attention to:

It doesn't really matter what kind of gun you have, you have to make your shots; just because you hit the guy is no guarantee he is going down and you are safe.

That is why I train myself constantly to put rounds in the vitals immediately, then finish things off with one to the brainpan. I know this sounds brutal and cruel, but if you can manage it during a fight, there is no quicker way to cut someone off like a switch than to expose the matter between the ears to some good ole fashioned ventilation.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined". - Patrick Henry